Intellectual Property & Ownership of Deliverables
A common and important question clients have is: "Who owns the code, designs, or systems you build for us?" This article explains how intellectual property (IP) is handled in your engagement with Progressive Robot.
Standard Position — Client Ownership of Bespoke Work
For most bespoke development or design projects, Progressive Robot assigns full intellectual property rights to you (the client) upon receipt of final payment. This means:
- You own the custom code, designs, and creative assets produced specifically for your project
- You are free to modify, resell, host, or transfer these assets without requiring our permission
- Progressive Robot retains no ongoing rights to the bespoke deliverables
Third-Party Components & Open Source
Many projects incorporate third-party libraries, frameworks, or open-source components (e.g. React, WordPress, Python libraries, cloud provider SDKs). These are subject to their own licences:
- We will always use components with licences compatible with commercial use (e.g. MIT, Apache 2.0)
- A list of third-party components and their licences will be included in your handover documentation
- You are responsible for maintaining compliance with those licences after handover
Progressive Robot's Tooling & Frameworks
Where we use our own internal tools, frameworks, or methodologies in the delivery of your project, we retain ownership of those tools. You receive a licence to use the output of those tools, not the tools themselves. This is standard practice and will be clearly noted in your contract.
Portfolio Rights
Unless you request otherwise in writing, Progressive Robot reserves the right to reference your project as part of our portfolio — for example, listing your company name and a brief description of the work on our website. We will never share confidential business logic, source code, or data. If you prefer your engagement to remain fully confidential, please let your Account Manager know and we will include a non-disclosure clause in your contract.
IP Before Full Payment
IP transfer typically occurs upon receipt of final payment. If an invoice is outstanding, Progressive Robot retains ownership of the deliverables until payment is cleared. Access to source code, design files, and other assets may be withheld until the account is settled — this is set out in your contract's IP clause.
Questions About IP
If you have specific requirements around intellectual property — such as exclusive rights, white-labelling restrictions, or NDA requirements — please raise these with your Account Manager before the contract is issued. We are happy to accommodate reasonable requests.